Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, served as the Chief Guest at the 29th Convocation of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) in Pune. The Minister of Higher & Technical Education of Maharashtra, Shri Chandrakant Patil, the Vice Chancellor of GIPE, Dr. Ajit Ranade, along with other dignitaries, educationalists, professors, and students attended the event.
In his address, Shri Pradhan congratulated the graduating students and encouraged them to focus on building competencies and life skills. He emphasized the significance of GIPE as a hub of experiential learning and a melting pot of ideas. Shri Pradhan expressed optimism about India becoming a significant global player in the next twenty-five years, owing to the country’s talented youth. He urged the students to think big and work towards fulfilling society’s aspirations and global responsibilities.
Highlighting the importance of the twenty-first century as a knowledge-based society, Shri Pradhan underscored that knowledge would be the primary source for development, growth, economies, and societal progress. He emphasized India’s global responsibilities and encouraged the students to align their visions and actions with the well-being of the entire world.
Shri Pradhan also acknowledged the significant contributions of GIPE during the drafting of the Constitution of India and its role in shaping crucial policy decisions post-independence, including economic research on agriculture, education, pricing of agricultural commodities, family planning, banking, and the cooperative movement.
Later in the day, the Minister attended the Vidyarthi Samman Samaroh at Savitribai Phule University, Pune. He highlighted Pune’s historical role in shaping Indian civilization and the city’s potential to meet the expectations of emerging economies. Shri Pradhan stressed Pune’s contributions to various fields, including research on education, policy decisions, academia, governance with a welfare-centric approach, women-led development, and scientific research. During the program, Shri Pradhan inaugurated the Symbiosis Ishanya Bhavan at Symbiosis International University, Pune. Eminent dignitaries from various fields were felicitated during the event, including Dr. Pramod Chaudhari of Praj Industries, Chancellor of Symbiosis International (Deemed University) Prof. Dr. S.B. Mujumdar, renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. K.H. Sancheti, Kathak exponent Smt. Shama Bhate, and renowned author Smt. Aruna Dhere.